During the course of writing Cracking the Fringe, we interviewed quite a number of Fringe veterans and came away with countless gems of advice from them, so much that it couldn't be fit into the book. So we're going to be publishing the overflow here on the website.
Here, our Fringe friends offer their best advice on staying healthy while putting your body through the wringer that is the Edinburgh Fringe Festival:
Here, our Fringe friends offer their best advice on staying healthy while putting your body through the wringer that is the Edinburgh Fringe Festival:
Greasy Scottish food is great but make sure you get plenty of veggies too Cariad Lloyd, actor and comedian
Go to Napiers. Napiers is the herbalist opposite the big purple cow. They are wonderful, and they're like lovely mums, so they're like: “Oh, you must be having such a hard time. So stressful” And they're really sympathetic, and they do an echinacea tincture, and I bought their super-strength one this year, which was echinacea and garlic, and it tasted disgusting, but the whole Austentatious house ended up taking it… and that kept us all - we did all get ill, but it does help. And eat fresh food. Buy a massive bag of spinach, and have a sweet potato with loads of spinach and loads of vegetables, take some echinacea, and sleep.
Richard Stamp, editor of FringeGuru
Go to other fringes before this one, and then you'll get the Fringe flu before you're in Edinburgh. I'm always sick as a dog around the second two weeks of July, and then by the Fringe I'm fine.
Paul Foxcroft, improv and sketch comedian
You will want to go out and get wasted a lot. Stop it. You're a reasonable human being, right, but everyone turns into a kid at a candy store, when - and by kid I mean, alcoholic, and by candy store, I mean, a river, a cavalcade of - the Alcohol Circus! That's where you've gone. La Cirque D'Alcohol.
Why would you take that risk with a piece of theatre you've built? But particularly, if you're an actor - or a singer - you've got to take care of your voice and be responsible. And there's plenty of really cool places around Edinburgh that offer little respites.
Steve McNeil and Sam Pamphilon, sketch duo
Sam: Steve swears by Berocca.
Steve: I always have Berocca just as a top up, but I wouldn't say that'll cure a Fringe Flu. Stop drinking; you've gotta shut yourself away. Steam, to keep your voice up-
Sam: Steam, I was gonna say steam. I'm very big on the steam.
Steve: Have your five-a-day. Veg pots! Innocent veg pots!
Sam: They're so boring.
James Hamilton, sketch comedian
Hot toddy, probably. A lot of lemon, a lot of honey. And a lot of vitamin C tablets; they're good to start taking before you get ill, to try and head it off at the pass. Get enough sleep, especially at the beginning when it's all starting and it's all very exciting - it's very easy to be up all night, and you can do that for probably up to a week, but then it's gonna really start to get to you, and second and third week are gonna really kill you, unless you're getting enough sleep. If you get enough sleep and don't get smashed every night, that's gonna really help.
Rachael Finney, Pleasance staff
Fringe flu is the devil. Lemsip, paracetamol, tissues and orange Juice. Try and eat at least 1 of your 5 a day at some point as well, this might help ward off Fringe flu in the first place.
Jay Foreman, musical comedian
Ignore it. If you just look at yourself in the mirror and shout: “Feel better!” and then go out into the streets and pretend you're not ill. You can save up all of the illdom for September when you get home.
Benny Davis, Axis of Awesome
So, it's really difficult for me, because if I get sick, I can't sing, because that's usually the first place that the germs attack is my throat and vocal chords. I have tried every trick, and especially being a singer, you read up and you get the advice from everyone. Here are the three things that work: 1 - steam, 2 - not talking - 2, sleep.
Just sleep, and stay warm; Edinburgh is a cold, damp place - if you're staying in damp digs, get lots of air.
Bec Hill, stand-up comedian
First Defence spray - nasal spray that you get, as soon as you feel like you've got a sore throat coming on, you sniff it - I think you can get a cheaper pharmacy version, but I think Vicks do the vapour one, but I got that just 'cos I felt a little bit of a throat thing coming along and I took that for a few days, and nothing happened.
Alex Petty, Director of Laughing Horse
Daily smoothie to get the vitamin intake you just don’t get from deep fried offal and chips!
Go to Napiers. Napiers is the herbalist opposite the big purple cow. They are wonderful, and they're like lovely mums, so they're like: “Oh, you must be having such a hard time. So stressful” And they're really sympathetic, and they do an echinacea tincture, and I bought their super-strength one this year, which was echinacea and garlic, and it tasted disgusting, but the whole Austentatious house ended up taking it… and that kept us all - we did all get ill, but it does help. And eat fresh food. Buy a massive bag of spinach, and have a sweet potato with loads of spinach and loads of vegetables, take some echinacea, and sleep.
Richard Stamp, editor of FringeGuru
Go to other fringes before this one, and then you'll get the Fringe flu before you're in Edinburgh. I'm always sick as a dog around the second two weeks of July, and then by the Fringe I'm fine.
Paul Foxcroft, improv and sketch comedian
You will want to go out and get wasted a lot. Stop it. You're a reasonable human being, right, but everyone turns into a kid at a candy store, when - and by kid I mean, alcoholic, and by candy store, I mean, a river, a cavalcade of - the Alcohol Circus! That's where you've gone. La Cirque D'Alcohol.
Why would you take that risk with a piece of theatre you've built? But particularly, if you're an actor - or a singer - you've got to take care of your voice and be responsible. And there's plenty of really cool places around Edinburgh that offer little respites.
Steve McNeil and Sam Pamphilon, sketch duo
Sam: Steve swears by Berocca.
Steve: I always have Berocca just as a top up, but I wouldn't say that'll cure a Fringe Flu. Stop drinking; you've gotta shut yourself away. Steam, to keep your voice up-
Sam: Steam, I was gonna say steam. I'm very big on the steam.
Steve: Have your five-a-day. Veg pots! Innocent veg pots!
Sam: They're so boring.
James Hamilton, sketch comedian
Hot toddy, probably. A lot of lemon, a lot of honey. And a lot of vitamin C tablets; they're good to start taking before you get ill, to try and head it off at the pass. Get enough sleep, especially at the beginning when it's all starting and it's all very exciting - it's very easy to be up all night, and you can do that for probably up to a week, but then it's gonna really start to get to you, and second and third week are gonna really kill you, unless you're getting enough sleep. If you get enough sleep and don't get smashed every night, that's gonna really help.
Rachael Finney, Pleasance staff
Fringe flu is the devil. Lemsip, paracetamol, tissues and orange Juice. Try and eat at least 1 of your 5 a day at some point as well, this might help ward off Fringe flu in the first place.
Jay Foreman, musical comedian
Ignore it. If you just look at yourself in the mirror and shout: “Feel better!” and then go out into the streets and pretend you're not ill. You can save up all of the illdom for September when you get home.
Benny Davis, Axis of Awesome
So, it's really difficult for me, because if I get sick, I can't sing, because that's usually the first place that the germs attack is my throat and vocal chords. I have tried every trick, and especially being a singer, you read up and you get the advice from everyone. Here are the three things that work: 1 - steam, 2 - not talking - 2, sleep.
Just sleep, and stay warm; Edinburgh is a cold, damp place - if you're staying in damp digs, get lots of air.
Bec Hill, stand-up comedian
First Defence spray - nasal spray that you get, as soon as you feel like you've got a sore throat coming on, you sniff it - I think you can get a cheaper pharmacy version, but I think Vicks do the vapour one, but I got that just 'cos I felt a little bit of a throat thing coming along and I took that for a few days, and nothing happened.
Alex Petty, Director of Laughing Horse
Daily smoothie to get the vitamin intake you just don’t get from deep fried offal and chips!
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